Swiss Stories

Riverside bar scene, Lucerne (hi-res). Credit: © Simon Conway

Swiss Craft Beer Boom

History
Switzerland is famous for many things and now its burgeoning beer scene is beginning to gain recognition. The demise of the beer cartel at the end of the twentieth century opened up the industry and provided the space for Swiss brewers to create and flourish. They have responded by establishing breweries and microbreweries in unprecedented numbers and Switzerland has emerged as a major contributor to the ever-swelling European craft beer wave.
Avengers © Keystone

Five Swiss super talents in the Marvel Universe

History
Where would Stan Lee's superheroes be without Switzerland? The 2019 blockbuster 'Avengers: Endgame' called for no end of Swiss prowess. Indeed, even the heroes in tights seem drawn to our country...
Josef Müller-Brockmann studio, Schindler Speedwalk Rollteppich (Schindler Speedwalk moving walkway), advertising brochure, ca. 1962, Schindler & Cie. lift and electric motor factory, Ebikon, © Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Graphics collection / ZHdK / ProLitteris

Swiss Style forever – the story of a graphic design tradition

History
Conceptual strength, concision and technical precision: these are the hallmarks of Swiss graphic design and typography, which enjoy an excellent reputation around the world. They are the result of a long tradition of vocational education and training and professional excellence. Under the 'Swiss Style' label, Swiss graphic design gained international recognition in the 1950s and 1960s and became a highly successful export product. Read on to learn about the origins of Swiss Style – and why it never goes out of style.

by Barbara Junod, curator of the graphics collection of the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich

Albert Hofmann with a model of the LSD molecule in the early 1950s © Novartis corporate archive

The Swiss beginnings of LSD

History
In a stroke of serendipity over 75 years ago, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann (1906–2008) discovered the effects of lysergic acid diethylamide – otherwise known as LSD. Initially this new hallucinogen was explored by Western scientists for its therapeutic potential. But LSD soon found its way out of the lab and into the world of recreational use by the counterculture movement. From the late 1960s it started to be banned, putting a halt to medical research in psychedelic substances. Since the 1990s, however, clinical studies of LSD have gradually resumed in some countries, including Switzerland.
escher

Alfred Escher: a visionary of modern Switzerland

History
As a key figure behind the construction of the first Gotthard tunnel as well as the forerunners to both Credit Suisse and ETH Zurich, Alfred Escher had a profound and lasting influence on Switzerland's transition to the modern age.
Federal Palace © Julian Bregnard

Modesty and splendour: the two sides to the Federal Palace

History
Attracting tourists from all over the world, yet largely unknown to the Swiss at home, the Federal Palace stands out from other seats of power. Our journey begins at the very heart of the building, which mirrors the political structure of the country it represents.
swatches

The man behind the Swatch

History
Of all the national symbols of Switzerland, watchmaking is one of the most distinctive, drawn from a long tradition dating back to at least the 18th century. But today's Swiss watchmaking also owes its survival to one man whose drive and entrepreneurial spirit changed the industry: Nicolas G. Hayek (1928–2010).